


Something Special

by Jasmine_Shigeru



Series: Brave [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Season 1
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-06-11 03:47:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15306831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jasmine_Shigeru/pseuds/Jasmine_Shigeru
Summary: Felicity and Oliver meet months before Oliver is stranded on Lian Yu.





	1. Meeting

Title: Something Special  
Author: Jasmine Shigeru  
Pairing: Felicity/Oliver  
Summary: Felicity and Oliver meet months before Oliver is stranded on Lian Yu.  
AN: This is a retelling of Season 1.  
Disclaimer: I do not own the Arrow nor do I wish I do. This is just for my entertainment and whoever wishes to read it. I am not making any profit from this and do not care to for that matter.  
Rating: R  
Category: Drama/Romance/Angst hopefully some humor

Something Special  
By: Jasmine Shigeru

Chapter One: Meeting  
Felicity Smoak took a deep breath. She was in the main building of Queen Consolidated. It was a tour she had one for a paper she had turned it. She had impressed the right people, along with some other of her fellow MIT classmates. She was in her sophomore year and was one of the youngest to win a trip to one of the nation’s most prominent business. Only and 15 honor each year. In groups of 3, the students were shipped off to 5 major companies, Wayne Industries, Luthor Corp., Star Labs, Merlyn Global, and Queen Industries. The companies were sent their essays and choose the students based on how they could fit in one of the companies. Unfortunately for Felicity, she got Queen Consolidated. She was really hoping for Star Labs. But now she was actually inside the lobby of the impressive building, she couldn’t help but be a little impressed, not that she would consider working her or anything.

Felicity along with, two seniors, both male, had been greeted by Mr. Robert Queen himself. He smiled at them and greeted them warmly, welcoming them. He shook Professor Morrison’s hand and then each of the students. He introduced some of the staff that suited their fields of study. There was Mrs. Vincent, head of cybersecurity, Mr. Marsh head of the IT department, and Mr. Lysander, the head of Applied Sciences. While Gregory Kincaid was solely interested in Applied Science and Willard Elliot was impressed with cybersecurity, Felicity would love to work in any of the departments. She was surely more qualified than the other two students standing in front of her talking to their respective interest heads. She was unfortunately left in the background, the Goth girl who cleaned up her look to not discourage any possible future employers. Gone was her, this month, blood red strikes in her hair. Her matching lipstick was a tamer soft pink. Her heavy black eyeliner, lightly done. Her dark eyeshadow, a palette of soft grays. Her all black clothes was now a white blouse and black pencil skirt. Boots were exchanged with nude high heels. The only things she did not change were her nail polish and industrial piercing. Her nails were a dark violet and her piercing, a Sweet 16 birthday gift from Donna (her mother), was hidden by her naturally black hair. She had decided on a low ponytail with her hair covering the tops of her ears.

“Excuse,” said a soft voice behind her and Felicity turned startled to see a tall young man with blond hair and the most gorgeous blue eyes that she had ever seen.

“What’s going on here?” he asked with confusion, but flashed Felicity with a charming smile.

Felicity gulped.

“Um…” she said kind of speechless, which was rare for her because she was a babbler. One of the few traits she got from Donna.

“Hi?” tall, blond and gorgeous questioned obviously wondering if something was wrong with Felicity.

It was then that Felicity snapped out of her daze. She was not like this usually she told herself, which was untrue, she did not fawn over a man because of his looks.

“Sorry, what was the question,” she asked. “Because I totally know you asked a question, well two actually. Could you ask the first one again?”

The young man just stared at her and smiled.

“Great, good going Smoak, you just babbled, again, in front of a total stranger and know he thinks you’re a weirdo,” She began babbling, not as softly as she thought she was, to herself. “And know you’re talking to yourself, which you’re going to stop now.”

She took a deep breath a mentally counted to 3. The young man laughed at her.

“Oliver,” Robert Queen greeted the man Felicity just humiliated herself in front of. “What brings you here?”

Oliver looked of Felicity’s head to Mr. Queen.

“I came to ask you a question, but it can wait,” Oliver said more than a little disappointed.

Mr. Queen nodded. He walked past the MIT group to Oliver and put his hand on his shoulder before turning to the group.

“Oliver, these young people are potential future employees of Queen Consolidated,” Robert Queen explained. “They have come all the way from MIT to see our company. Everyone, this is my son, Oliver Queen.”

Like the gentleman he was taught to be Oliver smiled and greeted everyone, smiling and shaking hands. When he got to Felicity he winked at her playfully.

Now seeing the two men standing side by side, Felicity could see the resemblance. From their blond hair and blue eyes. Even the slight glint of playfulness that rested in their stares. Oliver’s more predominant than his fathers, but it was still in them both.

“We were about to begin the tour of some of our computer-based departments. Would you like to join us?” Robert Queen said in a tone that clearly wasn’t a request.

Oliver sighed heavily knowing it would be rude and disrespectful to turn down his father’s ‘request’, but still highly tempted to do so. He decided against it. Considering it was Spring Break and this was the longest he’s been in college and he wanted to ask his father for some money to go to Las Vegas with Tommy Merlyn, his best friend. Said best friend had made a bet with him. Oliver had to remain in school for 2 semesters, no dropping out until summer.

“I would be happy to,” he said with a voice and smile that he hoped had not come off forced.

“Wonderful,” Robert said with a bright smile. “Shall we begin?”  
END OF CH. 1


	2. Asking

Chapter Two: Asking  
All through the tour, Felicity felt Oliver’s eyes on her. Whenever she would turn to look at him, she would catch him looking. He wasn’t even ashamed of being caught. In fact, he would smile at her.

Felicity found it difficult to focus on what was being shown to her. She barely aware of when the tour ended. They were all in the lobby and Felicity walked into Willard Elliot.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she was glared at.

“Just watch where you’re going,” Willard said. Obviously, he did not like her being so close to him. Probably because she was the competition.

Felicity ignored him and paid attention to the conclusion of the tour.

“I hope you enjoyed your inside look of Queen Consolidated,” Robert Queen said. “I also hope that you will consider Queen Consolidated as a future place of employment. We would be lucky to have you.”

With that, it was over. The group began to exit the building and head back to their hotel. The exit was only a few feet away when Felicity felt someone grab her arm and turned to Oliver.

“Hey, Felicity,” he said.

“Hi,” Felicity said back.

“I was wondering if you would like to go out on a date with me tonight,” Oliver asked with his most charming smile.

Felicity stared up at him. She was a bit wowed, but she wasn’t the type of girl to fall for a handsome face and a pretty smile.

“I’m not sure,” she said.

“Why not,” Oliver said with a whine, still smiling. “I promise I’ll have you back by curfew.”

The joke was not impressive.

“No,” she said.

“No?” Oliver asked as if he never heard the word before.

“No,” Felicity said firmly. “I will not go out with you.”

“Why not?”

“You may be good looking and charming, but you’re not my type,” Felicity said honestly.

It wasn’t a lie. Felicity Smoak was into the clean-cut, suave type of guys. She was more into the geeky, nerdy type a guy. She liked men who spoke with intelligence, someone she didn’t have to talk down. Olive Queen did not look like that kind of guy.

Oliver had the decency to look offended.

“Come on,” he goaded. “I promise I won’t bite.”

“But I do,” Felicity said before she could stop herself. “I mean, I’m not your type. I’m skeptical and sarcastic. I make snide comments. I babble. I like shows like Doctor Who. I don’t conform to society. I rather through apples at the cheerleaders than be one.”

“I’m not asking you to marry me. I’m asking you to accompany me to dinner.”

“And I’m flattered, but my answers still no,” Felicity firmly. “Besides, this isn’t even the real me. I wear black lipstick, lots of black eyeshadow, and lots of eyeliner. I wear tunes of black.”

“Sounds hot,” Oliver said with a nearly lustful smile.

Felicity rolled her eyes.

“Oliver,” Robert Queen interrupted before Oliver could say anything. He gestured for his son to come to him.

“That is my queue to leave,” Felicity said walking away.

Oliver watched her before going to his father. He was so absorbed with Felicity that he forgot why he came to see his father in the first place. In fact, he didn’t want to go to Vegas any longer.

Oliver had other things in mind. He wanted to continue to pursue the black haired beauty who told him no. It was rare that a girl turned him down and he was not about to let this one get away.  
END OF CH. 2


	3. Persistence

Chapter Three: Persistence  
Felicity sat at a little café down the street from her hotel. After speaking to the famous Oliver Queen, she needed coffee. She also needed the shop’s Wi-Fi. She was going to find out exactly who Oliver Queen was. She could have used the Wi-Fi and the hotel but she didn’t want to spend the day in her room. Plus, she wanted coffee and the coffee at the hotel was terrible. She had a cup that morning and she was not planning on making that mistake again.

She saw that he had been arrested, not all that surprising given the other information on his wild behavior, his school records were lousy, obviously he was more of looks that smarts kind of a guy, and he had a habit of sleeping around, she had a suspicion that his being rich, confident, and good looking contributed to his whoring ways. He was exactly who she thought he was.

She looked up her computer screen to give her eyes a break and saw that Oliver Queen was walking towards her with two cups of coffee.

“Hi, Felicity,” He said happily as he sat in the chair across from hers.

“Oliver, what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you,” he answered. He slid one of the cups of coffee towards her.

Felicity took it and sniffed at its contents. It smelled exactly the way she liked it. Light cream, heavy sugar, and a bit of cinnamon. She smiled and took a sip of the dark liquid.

“What are you doing?” Oliver asked.

“Drinking coffee,” Felicity answered smartly.

“I meant, what are you doing on your computer?”

“Doing a background check,” Felicity answered.

“On?”

“You.”

Oliver laughed.

“You didn’t need to do that. I’m an open book.”

Felicity smiled back. Oliver really was a charming guy. He looked overconfident.

“So, did you like what you read?” he asked, knowing the answer.

Felicity smiled knowingly. She gathered her things and put her laptop into her bag. She stood and hoisted the bag over her shoulder. Last, she grabbed her coffee.

“No,” she said to him. “Thanks for the coffee.”

She walked away.

The next day, her group was allowed to explore the city to make sure it was truly where they wanted to live someday. Felicity found herself at a computer store, browsing the shelves. While looking at hard drives, she bumped into someone.

“Sorry,” she apologized.

“Don’t be. You can bump into me anytime.”

Felicity froze. She turned to see Oliver Queen standing behind her. She wondered how he knew where to find her.

“Wow, you really are Goth,” he said staring at her black baggy pants, black belly shirt with a black and white plaid shirt. Her makeup was heavily applied. Dark lipstick, eyeliner, and eyeshadow.

“I told you I wasn’t your type.”

“But you’re still hot,” Oliver said with a charming smile that Felicity wasn’t sure if she was sick of seeing or not.

Felicity rolled her eyes. She turned back to the hard drives.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

“Looking for you,” Oliver answered.

“Well, you’ve found me. What do you want?”

“You across from me as we enjoy dinner together.”

Felicity turned back to face him.

“I said no.”

“I was hoping you’ve changed your mind,” Oliver said hopefully.

“Nope,” Felicity answered. She walked away.

“Where are you going,” Oliver shouted at her.

“Away from you,” Felicity shouted back as she left the store.

Later that night, Felicity was in her hotel room. Since she was the only female, she got her own room. There was too much white, pink, and floral for her liking, but at least she got her privacy.

She was running some diagnostic that she wasn’t paying attention too. She was wondering how Oliver Queen knew exactly where she was going to be twice now. She was wondering how persistence he really was to keep finding her. It was kind of creepy but in a cute way that made her almost want to give in. In fact, she promised herself, if Oliver were to find her one more time, she would say yes to his dinner offer.

And fate would have it, there was a knock on her door. And low and behold, Oliver Queen stood on the other side. Again how did he know where she was?

“What are you doing here?” They said at the same time. Felicity in actual wonder and Oliver in mocking.

“Cute,” Felicity said.

“I thought so,” Oliver said with a cheeky smile. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“With your reputation, no,” Felicity answered.

“Okay,” Oliver said holding his hands up in defense. “So, are you going to go to dinner with me?”

Felicity rolled her eyes before remembering her promise to herself.

“Yes,” she answered finally.

“Really?” Oliver said genuinely surprised. “Well, I guess third times the charm.”

“Yes, really, and this is the fourth time you’ve asked,” Felicity said. “Now go, before I change my mind.”

She went to shut her door only to have Oliver stop her.

“I’m starting to change my mind,” Felicity warned.

“I just wanted to tell you to be ready at 8 and dress formally.”

Felicity smiled.

“Okay,” she said.

“Goodbye Felicity,” Oliver said with a sweet smile.

“Goodbye Oliver,” Felicity said chuckling as she shut her door.

She had a date with Oliver Queen and lucky for him, her mother had pressed her to pack a nice dress just in case she found a man. Felicity didn’t think she would actually get a chance to wear it.

She walked over to her bag and pulled out the dress that was too modest by her mother’s standards but just close to the edge of slutty by her own But Donna had insisted and used guilt to get Felicity to even accept the dress as a gift.  
She hoped Oliver liked red.  
END OF CH. 3


	4. The Date

Chapter Four: The Date  
Felicity waited for Oliver in the hotel lobby. She was not going to wait for the playboy in her room. She did not trust him to not try to make a move. Especially, not when she was dressed like she was. She was wearing a clingy, red dress that was scrunched like an accordion. Its skirt falling mid-thigh. The top part was off the shoulder that clung just below her cleavage. Her hair was down, in curls, and fell over her right shoulder. She wore a deep crimson lipstick and she decided to go a little light on the eye makeup. She had a red clutch purse that matched her dress and a pair of patent black heels, with red soles to finish off her look.

“Oh, wow,” Oliver said from behind her.

Felicity turned and looked at him and he was speechless at the front view of her.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she said. “Not that you don’t always look good. You just look really good in a suit. Not that you don’t look good out of a suit.”

Felicity blanched when she realized what she just said.

“I mean in everyday clothes not naked because I’ve never seen you naked. Though, I bet you look good naked,” Felicity said. Her blush deepening with every word she said. “I’m going to shut up now.”

Oliver smiled. He was wearing a gray suit. Tailored to fit. A white button-down was covered by the opened jacket and he didn’t wear a tie. His black shoes shined like new. His hair was combed neatly.

“Thank you,” he said finding his voice. “You look gorgeous by the way.”

“Thanks,” Felicity said.

“Shall we?” Oliver asked as he placed his hand on the small of her back.

Felicity nodded.

As they stepped out into the warm air of Starling City, Oliver leaned into Felicity.

“By the way, I do look good naked,” he said in a whisper that oozed his cockiness.

Felicity laughed.

They rode in Oliver’s silver Porsche to the Japanese Restaurant that he had planned to take her since the moment he met her.

“I hope you like Japanese,” he said.

“I do,” Felicity said a little impressed.

They were seated in a secluded area.

“So, where are you from?” Oliver asked after they placed their orders.

“Las Vegas,” Felicity answered honestly.

Oliver smiled at her answer and then preceded to ask question Felicity rather not answered. He asked about her mother.

“She’s my mother,” was the only answer Felicity gave.

Oliver asked about her father.

She said nothing about the man who abandoned her. She pressed her lips together.

Oliver took the hint.

“Well, my Mom is great, a bit bossy, but I love her. My Dad is also great. He tries to spend as much time with us as he can. And my sister, Thea, she just turned 12. She’s…”

“Let me guess, she’s great,” Felicity said with a cheeky smile as she held back the urge to roll her eyes.

“She is,” Oliver said with a chuckle. “She’s a bit noisy but I love her.”

Felicity couldn’t help but laugh. She was surprised to find herself genuinely interested in Oliver before his playboy antics.

“How did you know where to find me?” she asked suspiciously.

“Hm...” Oliver hummed.

“How did you know I would be at the coffee shop?”

“I was on my way to your hotel and saw you in the window,” Oliver answered with a triumphant smile.

“How did you know I would be at the Computer store?”

“I asked one of your professors.”

“And how did you know where I was staying?”

“I bribed the receptionist.”

Felicity frowned at Oliver’s smug smile. He wasn’t even a bit ashamed.

Felicity was going to question when their food came. She decided she wasn’t going to say much more to the man. But Oliver didn’t care. He wanted to get to know her. Felicity answered his question as vaguely as she could. When their meals had been eaten and the bill had been paid, Oliver suggested going to a bar. Bored with the way the evening was going, Felicity agreed to hope that she could get a little fun out of this date. 

“So, are you single,” Oliver asked downing his drink.

“Isn’t that something you ask before you ask the girl out?”

Oliver shrugged.

“Well, are you?”

“Maybe,” Felicity said in a sing-song voice. She was three shots in.

She was thinking of Cooper Sheldon, someone she liked back at MIT but they were just fuck buddies at the moment. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to be something more with him. But Oliver didn’t need to know that.

Oliver smiled at her.

“What about you?” Felicity asked.

“What about me?” he asked.

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

Oliver made a whining knows as he leaned back in his chair.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t say otherwise.”

Oliver had the sense to look ashamed. He did have a girlfriend, Laurel Lance and they weren’t on break at the moment. In fact, everything was going well between them.

The waiter placed their drinks on the table.

Felicity took a sip of her Long Island Iced Tea and Oliver had some rum concoction she didn’t quite get the name of.

“So, who is she?” Felicity asked.

“Laurel.”

“I bet she’s gorgeous.”

“She is,” Oliver said with a loving smile.

“You love her?”

“Yeah,” Oliver said shifting in his seat uncomfortably.

“Then why are you out with me?”

Her question struck home. Laurel was smart and beautiful and endlessly forgiving. Oliver just couldn’t seem to keep himself faithful to her.

“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug.

Felicity stared at him with knowing eyes and he stared back. Normally he would have turned his gaze from anyone who gave him that look, but there was something about Felicity.

“Do you want to be with her right now?”

“No, for the past couple of days, I’ve only wanted to be with you,” Oliver said honestly.

It was true. For the last two days, the only woman on his mind had been Felicity. She just sparked something inside him that Laurel never did. Usually, he would be afraid of such feelings, but somehow with Felicity, he wasn’t afraid. He only wanted to be near her.

“I’m not here to talk about Laurel,” he said. “I’m here with you and that’s all that matters.”

Felicity continued to stare at him. She could see the honesty in his eyes. For the first time that night and since she’s met him, she felt something more with him.

She smiled and reached out to touch his hand.

Oliver returned the smile and wrapped his hand around hers. For a moment it was like no one else existed. The world stood still and Oliver thought that all he needed in his world was Felicity.

Felicity blushed.

“Are you a virgin?” Oliver asked unexpectedly.

 

Felicity gave a small laugh and removed her hand from his to grab her drink. She took a large gulp of the drink before she answered.

“I’m not,” she said simply.

Oliver smiled.

“So, who was it?” He boldly asked.

Felicity smiled again before taking another gulp of her Long Island Iced Tea. She placed her glass back on the table.

“Joshua Holland, she answered. “It was my senior year of high school. We both didn’t want to go off to college virgins.”

“He was older?” Oliver asked.

“By like a year and a half. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. You know how some people remembered their first time as romantic and perfect, special. Not for me. It was so…”

“Ordinary,” Oliver finished.

“Yeah,” Felicity said with a shrug.

There was a pause as Oliver processed the information.

“Brittany Carver,” Oliver said suddenly. “We were both 15. We were at a party and it just happened.”

“15, huh?” Felicity said. “I’d thought you would have been younger.”

Oliver frowned.

“Believe it or not, I do have some limits,” Oliver said sounding slightly offended. “And any younger than 15 would have been asking for trouble.”

He left it at that.

Felicity was kind of shocked at the look on Oliver’s face. This was the first time she saw him so series.

“Okay, good to know,” she said nervously as she reached for her drink again and took a sip of the drink to stop herself from babbling out something stupid. She then cleared her throat.

“Favorite movie?” she asked changing the subject.

Oliver smiled and the playboy billionaire was back.

“Of all time?” he asked leaning forward.

They continued to talk for what felt like an hour before Oliver decided that they should leave.

“Do you wanna get out of here?” Felicity asked and Oliver smiled.

He stood still holding her hand and helping her stand. He reached in his pocket and threw down a large sum of money, not really caring how much he left behind. When they made it to the car, Oliver took his chance and kissed her. Felicity thought of pushing him away, but Oliver Queen was a damn good kisser. Instead, she buried one hand in his hair and the other clutched his shoulder. One of Oliver’s hands was wrapped around her back, while the other grabbed her ass pulling Felicity closer.

As the minutes passed, the kiss became more passionate and the lust grew between them. They were oblivious to the world as their kiss drew on, hardly breaking for a breath. They were practically humping each other as the grouped at the other’s body. What made them stop was a passing officer who cleared her throat and politely asked them to take their display somewhere else.

Reluctantly, they parted and got into the car. Oliver pulled Felicity into another kiss before driving off towards her hotel.

Patience wasn’t a favorite thing as they drove through the streets of Starling city and they soon made their way, safely, to the closest hotel, not Felicity’s. It was too far in both of their opinions.

They kissed slowly and passionately as they exited the car and barely remembered making into the building, getting a room, or entering the room. They were so attached to each other and didn’t bother fully undressing as they stood in the room.

It was Felicity who smiled up at Oliver and stepped back from him to make her way to the bed. There, she kicked off her heels and slipped off her panties. Oliver visibly gulped as he pulled off his jacket before crossing the room quickly and grabbing Felicity to kiss her again.

They fell back onto the bed. Felicity wrapped her legs around Oliver’s waist and Oliver shoved up the skirt of her dress to her waist. Felicity worked on unbuckling Oliver’s belt and all-the-while, they were kissing.

Once, Oliver was free of his belt, Felicity unbuttoned his slacks and pulled down the zip. She stroked him through his underwear. Oliver was quick to move her hands away. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the condom, tore open its wrapper and pulled it on. Then, he used one of his hand to test her before pushing down his pants and underwear her and in the next breath, he was inside her.

Felicity gasped at the feeling. It was a pleasant kind of feeling. Oliver was the biggest she’s ever had but nothing she couldn’t handle.

When Oliver moved, Felicity couldn’t help but bite her lip and Oliver couldn’t help but kiss her. Oliver’s movements were not gentle, but quick and passionate. Felicity’s hands were on Oliver’s chest, her thumbs moving across his nipples causing him to snap his hips fiercely and Felicity loved the feeling. In turn, Oliver pinched one of her nipples. This made Felicity clench around him.

Oliver moved from his mouth from her lips and began kissing Felicity’s neck. His hands moved down to her as he thrust. Felicity threw her head back. One of her hands dug into Oliver’s hair and the other was buried within her own.

Then they were moving together. Their pleasure increased. It just kept building and building until something shattered within them. First, Felicity, then Oliver. They stayed entwine for a few more moments before Oliver rolled over.

In minutes, they were asleep.

END OF CH. 4


	5. Say No Goodbyes

Chapter Five: Say No Goodbyes  
The sunlight was blinding as Felicity opened her eyes. She groaned and rolled over. Oliver was still sleeping beside her, a contented smile on his face. She frowned and rolled back over. She shut her eyes and bit back her groan.

She slept with Oliver Queen last night. The playboy Oliver Queen. A man who was probably with more woman than she has known. How could she be so stupid? Well, there was alcohol involved and the atmosphere did not hurt. Plus, he was sweet and honest with her last night. Felicity could see herself falling in love with Oliver Queen. If she was living in Starling City and was willing to try a relationship with him. But she was not. She did not trust him, not after one night. So, with that thought in mind, Felicity carefully got out of the bed. She quietly gathered her things, dressed and left the room without a word. As she left she wondered how long it would take her to trust someone like Oliver Queen.

She made her way to her hotel. She told the receptionist no visitors and went to her room. She took a long shower. The hot water rained on her body, washing away the smell of perfume, alcohol, and sex. She felt better but not exactly cleaner. In fact, she felt guilty. What was scary? She did not feel guilty because she had sex with Oliver. No, she felt guilty because she left him. She should have stayed, to at least hear him tell her that their night was only a one-time thing.  
________________________________________  
Back at the hotel room, Oliver was waking up. He was feeling great. He had amazing sex with an amazing woman. A woman he did not feel guilty over sleeping with. A woman he wanted to sleep with again before she had to leave. In fact, he wanted to see her exclusively until she left for MIT. That was a new feeling. Oliver Queen was truly falling in love with a stranger. He was a ‘bang ‘em then leave ‘em’ kind of guy. Not ‘let’s try and make this a relationship’. Well, not with anyone but Laurel. And Laurel was an odd thought. Sometime during the night, before the sex, Oliver forgot that he was attached to someone who was not Felicity. He forgot all about his girlfriend. Well, he guessed if he was going to continue to see Felicity, he and Laurel were going to take one of their ‘breaks’.

He smiled and rolled over, but instead of finding a sleeping Felicity, he got a face full of sunlight. He opened his eyes to see that the woman he had slept with last night was gone. He listened and got nothing but silence. No shower, no anything.

Naked, Oliver got out of bed and looked around the room. There was no sign of Felicity. Her clothes were gone. She had skipped out on him. That hurt. It hurt a lot. Now he knew how the women he slept with felt when he left them in the morning. But at least, he had the decency to make up an excuse, good or bad, before he skipped out. Hell, there was not even a note.

Normally, Oliver would give up. Chop it up to just a one-night stand. He felt that letting Felicity go would be a big mistake. He has never felt like this towards a woman. He felt as if he could, would never get enough of Felicity Smoak. He did not want this to be a one-night stand. He wanted more. So, he was going to go find the girl he wanted.  
________________________________________  
Felicity was at the airport with the rest of the students and chaperones. They were waiting to board their plane and head back to Massachusetts. The flight was scheduled for that afternoon. When she was done with her shower, one of the chaperones was knocking on her door. He told her that they were leaving for the airport soon. Relief flooded Felicity. She would not have to worry about Oliver Queen ever again. She would be gone and he would forget her. That was that. A part of her felt that would not be true. A part of her still remembered the Honest Oliver. The Oliver a girl could seriously fall for. The Oliver she had started to fall for.

She sighed. She could not think about the Honest Oliver. She had to think about Playboy Ollie. Oliver made her want to turn back and see what could happen. Ollie made her want to run. She held onto Ollie. She could not think of the what-ifs. She had to think about her future. The future she was certain of.

She was going away from Oliver, away from Starling City. She was going home.  
________________________________________  
Oliver, on the other hand, was pissed off. He came to Felicity’s hotel only to find out her and her party had checked out. She was gone and unless he wanted to fly to MIT, he was not going to see her again. A feeling deep in his soul knew that a part of him changed when he met Felicity. It was more than lust. It was something he was not quite sure of yet and now, he feared, he will never know what it was. All he knew was the one girl he felt he could give up his playboy lifestyle for was flying back to school. Life had a cruel way of showing him that karma was a real thing.  
END OF CH. 5


	6. Wrecked

Chapter Six: Wrecked  
Starling City was behind her. Felicity was going to move on and not say anything about sleeping with Oliver Queen, even if the experience would be one she will remember for the rest of her life. Oliver was good, too good. She could only guess that practice makes perfect and Oliver Queen sure knew how to make it perfect. Well, close to perfect. If he had not had a girlfriend or if she were sober or if she did not have a thing for Cooper Sheldon, then it would have been perfect.

She did not regret anything that had happened that night. She had an amazing time. She had Oliver’s complete attention the entire night. His eyes never strayed from her. She was his whole world for one night. She felt complete during the short hours she was with Oliver. She never knew that could happen after meeting someone and knowing them for so little time. But it was almost like a dream. A dream she woke up from the morning after. She had a life to get back to. A life that did not include Oliver Queen. They weren’t meant to be. They were just a moment in time.

When she made it back to MIT, Felicity saw Cooper leaning against her dorm room door. She did not even bother to ask how he knew what time she would return or if he was just there for hours waiting for her. He smiled at her as she approached and she smiled back.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi,” Felicity said.

“What are you wearing?” Cooper said in a critical tone.

Felicity looked down at her grey pencil skirt and pressed white blouse. She looked like some kind of secretary and not her usual Goth look that she had been rocking since she was 14.

“Oh this,” she said. “I only packed business attire. I know you’re not used to seeing me like this. Light makeup and all, but I couldn’t go on tours of possible places of employment without looking the part. No one would hire me. Not that any of that was important.”

Suddenly, Cooper grabbed her and kissed her. Felicity was shocked but kissed him back. Cooper was a really good kisser. She could not help thinking that Oliver was a better kisser.

“Like you could work for those big businesses,” Cooper scoffed. “You’re meant for bigger things.

“Yeah,” Felicity said in a daze. “We’re gonna take down the government.”

“Yeah, we are,” Cooper said with a triumphant smile. “Let’s go inside.”

His eyes screamed sex and Felicity did not argue. She had to shake Oliver Queen out of her system somehow and she could not think of a better way than having sex with someone else.

They became an official couple that day and Felicity tried not to think of Oliver that much. She went back to her usual schedule. The only difference, she saw Cooper more often. They planned out how they would ‘stick it to the man’ and made love whenever they could. But Oliver Queen kept throwing a wrench in all things Cooper. 

She kept thinking how she made it hard for Oliver had pursued her and how easily she fell into Cooper’s arms. She thought about how she could just talk on and on and Oliver seemed to love it, while Cooper always found a way to shut her up. She thought about how easy it was to just be with Oliver. With Cooper, it was like she was a certain image and could only be that. Oliver allowed her to shine. Cooper dangled her from his arm like some prize. Oliver was laid back. Cooper held onto her tightly and didn’t want to let go. Felicity found herself wondering how it was so easy to be with a man she only knew briefly than it was being with her current boyfriend. 

On an odd day, strangely enough, it was a day Felicity did not think about Oliver, she was in the student lounge going over a paper she had written. The TV was on and a sudden news announcement interrupted some program one of her classmates were watching. She ignored it as she worked.

“Well, looks like some stupid rich boy’s money couldn’t save him,” Cooper said as he sat beside her.

“Huh?” Felicity said as Cooper kissed the side of her head.

“Oliver Queen,” he said.

“What about him?” Felicity said in a near panic. She never said anything about her time in Starling City or Oliver. For a moment, she was scared that Cooper had found out somehow.

“He’s lost at sea or something,” Cooper answered.

Felicity finally looked up at the TV screen. There was a picture of Oliver on one side and his father on the other. The picture of a yacht was between them.

“Robert Queen’s yacht, the Queen’s Gambit, was lost at sea,” said a female reporter with overly bleached blonde hair. “After days of searching, no sign of the yacht or its passengers have been found. Everyone, including Queen’s only son, Oliver Queen is presumed dead.”

Felicity gasped out my breath. She had not even realized she had stopped breathing.

“You okay,” Cooper asked as he rubbed her back.

“I’m,” Felicity gasped out. “I’m…”

For a moment, Felicity could not breathe. She could not bring herself to finish a word let alone a sentence. Even though she had known Oliver briefly, this news was affecting her. It was almost as if she truly cared for Oliver and maybe, she did. Maybe he was her soul mate or something and now she would never see him again. She definitely will never see him again. She cared. Oh God, she cared.

“I have to go,” Felicity quickly gathered my things and ran to her dorm.

When she got there, she locked her door and fell to her bed and she cried. She cried because as cold and tough she appeared to be on the outside, Felicity Megan Smoak was a sweet and caring girl on the inside. She cried for the man she met and got to know. The man that deep down she wanted to see more of. The man who worked so hard just to go on one date with her. She cried because she left him alone in bed not knowing if he wanted something more of her. She cried because she knew that behind Oliver’s playboy demeanor, he was a good man. She cried because her heart was breaking.  
END OF CH. 6


	7. Through the Years

Chapter Seven: Through the Years  
Time went on. Felicity continued to go to school and do some illegal hacking on the side. Her relationship with Cooper continued. They now had been dating for a year and a half. They were as serious about one another as they’ve always been. They were both hacktivist and they were going to save the world through their hacking. They were happy but Felicity truly couldn’t believe that she had found her soul mate. Plus the sex was great.

Then everything went wrong. They were found out. Not their romantic relationship, but their hacking. They had created a virus and the FBI had discovered them. Cooper had taken the blame. He was arrested while Felicity remained free. There wasn’t really a trial he was just locked away. He would never see the light of day again. He didn’t end up serving his time because Felicity got the call that told her Cooper couldn’t handle being incarcerated and had hung himself.

For days, Felicity was depressed. She felt as if her soul was crushed. She barely ate, she didn’t shower. She went to her classes automatically and her grades slipped a bit. She felt ashamed that she always compared Cooper to Oliver. She felt guilty that she felt Cooper wasn’t her soul mate. It wasn’t until she finally got a good look in a mirror that she saw the person she had become. She didn’t like what she saw. She had no makeup. She was paler than she had ever been before. Her hair was greasy and stringy. Her roots, later than the black dye, were showing. Her cheeks had begun to shallow out from her lack of food. Her clothes were practically falling off her body.

She frowned at the virtually unrecognizable woman in the mirror. She looked awful. She pressed her lips together and scratched her head. She was disgusted by the way her hair felt. She then gagged as she got a good whiff of herself. She ran into her room and grabbed some clothing and then dashed back into the bathroom for a much-needed shower and shampoo. She felt a bit dizzy when she was done but she also felt ten times better.

Felicity took another look in the mirror and though she was cleaner and her hair had more buoyancy, she still felt like scum. She needed a change. She grabbed her bag and her keys and went on a shopping trip.

She decided on a completely different look. Brighter clothes and makeup. High heeled shoes. Pleased by the dent she put in her credit card, Felicity was pleased. She made it back to her dorm and changed. She took a look in the mirror and still she felt something was off. She heard her phone ring and answered it. It was her mom checking up on her. Felicity absently listened to her mother babble on and on. She had heard about Cooper. How Felicity never found out. Maybe in her daze, she told her. She did not know, but as she listened to her mom’s voice Felicity had another thought. She knew what was missing. Her hair. It was too dark for her new look. She never really looked like her mom. She was more her father’s daughter. Brains and looks. Why not change her look to pay tribute to the parent who stayed.

Felicity politely said goodbye to her mother and headed to the nearest drug store. By the end of the day, Felicity had bagged all her old clothes, except for the dress she wore on her date with Oliver, and tossed them out. She was now a bright and lovely blonde. She even put away her contacts (they were too expensive to toss out) and was wearing her contacts. The only thing she kept from her old life was her industrial piercing.

In the end, Felicity was pleased with the changes in her life. Her grades improved and she found a new love in Big Belly Burger. She was looking healthier and she was beginning to feel happier. She never dated anyone while at school again. She wanted to honor Cooper’s memory somehow. She was no longer a cyber activist.

Months passed and it was time for graduation. Her mother was coming from Nevada and she was happy and nervous. Her mother was a handful and Felicity believed that the less she saw of her the better. She loved her mom and she appreciated all of the sacrifices that she had made to give Felicity they best life she could. But her mother was embarrassing. She suffered through the same babbling Felicity did and she was not beyond saying anything that would humiliate her daughter.

Graduation went well. Felicity was top of her class and her mother was one of the loudest parents amongst the crowd when Felicity walked to get her diploma. After the ceremony, the two women went out to eat at a nice restaurant and talked about their plans for the future. Donna Smoak was going to return to her life as a waitress in some casino or another. Felicity was headed back to Starling City. A month ago, she got a personal call from Walter Steele, the CEO of Queen Consolidated after Robert Queen went missing somewhere in the China seas. Mr. Steele offered her a starting position in the IT department and Felicity took it. She really didn’t have time to think about the decision, nor did she want the time. The first thing she thought about as soon as she got the job offer was Oliver Queen and their memorable night. After all this time, she could not forget that night. It stayed with her on her lonely nights, more than the nights she thought of about Cooper. She just could not completely forget Oliver. She wanted to hold on to his memory just as much as she had wanted to hold on to Cooper’s, so she took the job. She was moving to Starling City within the month.

Donna was happy to help Felicity pack her things. She wanted to spend as much time with her daughter as she could. She wasn’t sure when she would be able to save enough money to see her again. Felicity was happy for the help. They parted on good terms.

Starling City was a great city. Sure the crime rate in the Glades was on the rise, but everywhere else was worth living. Felicity found a small apartment near Queen Consolidated (QC). She worked hard and made no waves. She made a couple of friends who didn’t think she was too brainy to spend time with. She went on a few dates but none of them lived up to Cooper. She had a couple of one night stands but they never lived up to Oliver. Her love life was very disappointing.

Years passed and it was coming up on the anniversary of when Oliver Queen went missing. It was going to be the fifth year. Two years ago, Felicity started a tradition of drinking cheap red wine and staying in with a carton of mint chocolate chip ice cream and a tearjerker. She found she just could not be happy on this day. No one questioned her choices on this day. She just wanted to be alone.

Felicity was out at a bar with a date when she found out that Oliver Queen was not dead. Her date was a sports fan and couldn’t resist going to a sports bar. The place was a loud and highly inappropriate place for a first date. Steven Conrad was a co-worker. He worked in Accounting. They met in the staff room. He had gray eyes and light brown hair. He wasn’t very tall and was kinda flabby for someone in his early twenty’s but he seemed friendly enough. So, when he asked her out one day, she said yes.

Now, Felicity regretted that decision. The man was watching every sporting event on all the TVs. He booed and cheered loudly. He ignored Felicity most of the night. He only acknowledged she was there when he wanted to comment on what was on the screens. That wasn’t even the worst part of the night. No, the worst part of the night happened when the news interrupted every game. The tag was Lost Billionaire Found.

“Aw, Come on,” Steven cried in outrage. His face was turning a vibrant red. “This isn’t important. Turn back to the games.”

He slammed his fists on the table. He knocked over his drink over and shook their plates. Felicity jumped at his sudden display of violence. She did her best to ignore her furious date and turned her attention towards the TV. Her ears strained to hear what the reporter was saying.

“Oliver Queen is alive,” she heard the male reports voice say. The bartender turned up the volume at the Queen name.

“Who cares,” Steven shouted. His eyes were bulging now.

“The Starling City resident was found in the North China sea five days ago. Five years after he was missing and presumed dead following the accident at sea that claimed the Queen’s Gambit. Queen was a regular tabloid presence and a fixture of the Starling City club scene. Shortly before his disappearance, he was acquitted of assault charges streaming from a highly publicized altercation with paparazzi. Queen is the son of Starling City billionaire Robert Queen, who was also on board but now officially confirmed deceased.”

The rest of the report turned into a fog in her head. Felicity was in a near state of shock. Oliver was alive. The man she couldn’t forget was still alive. She wondered if she was going to see him again. Of course not, she thought. He probably has forgotten all about her. Five years is an awfully long time to remember a one night stand. She did, why wouldn’t he? Because he was Oliver Freaking Queen and he had many one-night stands. She was not going to be that special one that stood out. Besides, he probably wouldn’t even recognize her. She has changed so much. She shook herself out of her daze and blinked up at her still upset date.

“I have to go,” she stumbled over the words as she rose and placed a twenty dollar bill on the table to cover her meal.

Steven barely acknowledged her as he was getting into a fight with a few men in the bar.

Felicity didn’t even realize she was crying until she got into her car. She wiped her tears. She didn’t even know why she was crying. She only spent a small amount of time with Oliver and she never really got to know him. But sometimes, she thinks she saw a part of him that one night that he rarely showed to anyone.

That night Felicity dreamt of Oliver Queen again. This time it was not their one night together. This time it was the determination he pursued her that flashed through her mind. It was funny that she forgot about that part of their brief time together. It was a pleasant memory to hold on two for the four weeks because on that fourth week she saw Oliver in person again and that one moment changed her entire life.  
END OF CH. 7


	8. Meeting Again

Chapter Eight: Meeting Again  
Lone Gunman  
The next day, Felicity went to work. She was certain she would never see him again. She thought about the odds that she would run into Oliver Queen and she focused on those odds were definitely on her side. Sure enough, she did not see Oliver that day or the next day. She did not see him that week at all or the next week. She was feeling pretty good about never seeing her unforgettable one night stand when there was a knock on her door.

 

“Felicity Smoak?” a soft male voice said after clearing his throat.

Felicity turned around in shock as she stared at the man she had not seen in five years.

“Hi,” Oliver Queen said.

Felicity removed the red pen she had been chewing on from her mouth.

“Hi,” she said back.

“You’ve changed, a lot,” Oliver said and Felicity realized he meant her hair and clothes.

“Yeah, you did too,” Felicity said admiring the new muscles she noticed. “I mean, of course, you have, it’s been five years. People change, I’ve changed. You’ve changed. We’ve all changed.”

“Yeah, it has,” Oliver said. A darkness clouded his eyes for a second before he forced it away.

“What brings you here?” Felicity asked. “Obviously it’s not to see the one-night stand you had five years ago. So, of course, you need IT. Why else would you be here but get help from an IT expert? Which I am. And I am babbling, which will end in 3, 2, 1…”

Oliver smiles and Felicity blushes. She had forgotten how disarming his smiles could be.

“I’m having some trouble with my computer and they told me that you were the person to come and see,” he said as he placed the laptop on her desk. “I was at my coffee shop surfing the web and I spilled a latte on it.”

Felicity takes a look at the damaged laptop and instantly became suspicious.

“Really?” she said.

“Yeah,” Oliver said.

“Because these look like bullet holes,” Felicity said.

“My coffee shop is in a bad neighborhood,” was Oliver’s weak reply.

Felicity stared up at him in disbelieve as she tilted her head to the side. She watched as Oliver tried not to smile. Secretly, she was pleased she had some kind of effect on him.

“If there is anything that you can salvage from it, I would really appreciate it.” He said. Obviously, he was trying to move on. He definitely didn’t want to dive into being interrogated about the laptop.

“Mm-hm,” Felicity hummed as she took the laptop to work on it. Oliver took a seat beside her. Felicity nearly froze as she felt his body heat close to her.

“So, you work here?” Oliver asked as he watched her work.

Felicity resisted the urge to turn to look at him as she tried to find out what was on the computer.

“Yup,” she said with a pop. “For three years now.”

“So, I only had to wait three years to see you again?”

Felicity’s heart jumped into her throat.

“You wanted to see me again?” she asked finally turning to look into Oliver’s blue eyes. He did not say anything else. 

Felicity felt a chill run up her spine before she returned to the laptop. It only took a few more minutes before she was able to pull up anything.

“It looks like blueprints,” she said.

“Do you know what of?” Oliver asked.

“Exchange building,” Felicity answered.

“Never heard of it.”

“It’s where the Unidac Industries auction is scheduled to take place,” Felicity explained and watched the blank expression on Oliver’s face as he still did not fully understand. “I thought you said that was your laptop.”

“Yes,” Oliver said not expanding further.

“Look, I don’t wanna get in the middle of some Shakespearean family drama thing.” Felicity rushed out.

“What?” Oliver asked confused.

“Mr. Steele marrying your mom. Claudius, Gertrude, Hamlet?” Felicity tried to jog some memory of the play.

“I didn’t study Shakespeare at any of the four schools I dropped out of.”  
Felicity sighed. She did not bother telling Oliver that Shakespeare was also taught in high school.

“Mr. Steele is trying to by Unidac Industries and you’ve got a company laptop associated with one of the guys he’s competing against.

“Floyd Lawton,” Oliver said with certainty.

“No, Warren Patel,” Felicity said wondering what he was really up to. “Who’s Floyd Lawton?”

“He is an employee of Mr. Patel, evidently.”

“Oliver,” Felicity said with concern.

“It’s nothing Felicity,” he said. “Can I have that back?”

Felicity nodded before she shut down and unplugged the laptop from her work computer. She handed it back to Oliver.

Oliver stood and began to leave. When he reached the door, he turned back to her.

“It was good seeing you again, Felicity,” he said honestly.

“Yeah, you too,” Felicity said and he left.  
________________________________________  
Oliver walked out of the Queen Consolidated building thinking about this twist of fate. When he asked Walter about getting help from the IT department, he had no clue that he would be directed to Felicity Smoak. The very same Felicity Smoak he spent some of his happier dreams with over the past five horrible years he had been away.

He remembered the first dream he had of her. It was shortly after he was tortured for the first time. His dream started with Laurel. They were in the mansion and they were studying something. He turned his back to take a drink of whatever beverage was on his nightstand and when he turned back, Laurel was replaced by Felicity. When he woke, he thought he dreamt of Felicity because he was so stuck on her, but as time passed, Oliver began to dream more and more of the dark beauty. He never fully understood why.

Now that he was back in Starling City, he wondered if maybe he was getting a second chance. He was a different person now and if the feelings he had for Felicity after briefly knowing her were true, then maybe, something more could happen between them.

Did he even want something more to happen between them? He was a man on a mission. He had to save Starling City from the corruption destroying it. Could he bring Felicity into that life? Should he? Normally, he would say no, but for some reason he wanted her to know everything. It was the same feeling he had after their one date.

Oliver sighed. He was seriously going to let Felicity in on his nightlife. He could not even think about not doing so. He just had to wait for the right time. For now, he thought getting to know Felicity without that burden would be what was best.  
END OF CH.8


	9. Panic

Chapter Nine: Panic  
Felicity was proud of herself. After Oliver had visited her, she managed to finish her work day without panicking. She made it safely to the grocery store to pick up a large bottle of her favorite red wine and a pint of a non-nut based mint chocolate chip ice cream. She even made it home to her small house, out of her work clothes and into her pajamas.

It wasn’t until after she poured her first glass of wine and pulled the lid off of her ice cream did she feel her heart begin to race. She was able to swallow her first spoonful of ice cream before her throat seemed to close up. Her mind went blank when she drank some wine to help force down the ice cream.

Now she was panicking. She had just seen her one-night stand whom she hasn’t seen for five years. A man she thought was dead. A man she could not get out of her mind no matter how much she had moved on.

Oliver Queen was truly back. Of course, she knew that he was back but it never seemed as official as him showing up at her office and asking for her help with a busted laptop. And he looked even more gorgeous than the last time she saw him in the flesh.

Somehow, in the span of five years, Oliver Queen had turned from a fit playboy to a really buff man. She wasn’t sure about his playboy status. There had been no rumors on that front since he was found. Sure, some women at work talked about what they would do if he ever approached them, but right now it all just seemed like fantasies that Oliver wouldn’t currently be fulfilling.

Another spoonful of ice cream and a very large gulp of wine to help erase the thoughts of Oliver picking some random woman to sleep with. Not that she was hoping the woman would be her or she was jealous or anything. She had no right to be jealous. She was just a girl he met one day and pursued relentlessly until she went on a date with him. She highly doubted he had to work as hard when he flirted with other women. But for some reason, Oliver did not stop asking her out until she said yes.

Felicity took a sip of wine and sighed. She remembered how she was determined not to be impressed by Oliver that fateful night five years ago, but she had been. She got the feeling Oliver was showing a rare side of himself to her and she liked that Oliver.

Another sigh and some more wine. Felicity began to stare off into space. She could still smell his wonderful scent of fresh pine and feel the heat of his body as he sat close to her in her office. She remembered every expression that crossed his face. And even though, he was plainly lying to her, she felt as though she was seeing part of the real Oliver. The part of him he rarely showed.

Finishing off her first glass of wine and pouring another, Felicity began thinking and worrying about how well she seemed to know Oliver Queen. She has only known him briefly, but she felt as if she knew him. She didn’t know whether it was instinct or intuition but she just felt as if there was something uniquely special about Oliver.  
________________________________________  
In his room at the mansion, Oliver was biding his time. He had already packed up his hood, bow, and arrows to bring with him to the auction that night. His suit was pressed and hanging on a hook attached to his closet door. He still had some time to spare before he had to get ready.

Normally, Oliver would spend his time training to pass the time, but for some odd reason, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He had one thing on his mind. One person. Felicity Smoak whose bright face and blue eyes were staring back at him from his computer screen. He had looked up her office file. Every employee at Queen Corporations had a small profile that anyone would be able to view. A small synopsis of what they did for the company, some small back history, and some achievements was posted.

From Felicity’s profile, Oliver had learned that Felicity had been with the company for three years. She was an MIT graduate. She was an IT specialist for the company. He learned that she lived in Las Vegas with a single parent, there was no mention of which parent. Her achievements only listed her degrees and nothing more. There was no mention of her IQ or anything too amazing on Felicity’s profile. She came off very plain but Oliver had a feeling that there was nothing plain about her at all.

In fact, during the brief moments he’d spent with her, he knew she was bright and kind. She was unbelievably smart. He knew that she was in the wrong position at QC and she was modest. She was the one person who could truly make him smile and laugh. He felt unbelievably comfortable when he was with her and that was a problem.

He was on a mission. A very violent and bloody mission. He had no room for friendships or romance. He hadn’t even been with a woman for a few years. Nor did he want to. Well, maybe just one, Felicity Smoak. The thought scared him.

Oliver Queen was never a one-woman kind of guy before the island. He cheated on him on again, off again girlfriend Laurel Lance more times than he could count. He often had sex more than once a day. He liked adding notches to his belt and often competed with his best friend, Tommy Merlin to see who could sleep with the most woman in two days. He used to be proud of his exploits. Not even when he had accidentally gotten a woman pregnant, and he was shamefully thankful for the miscarriage, did he stop sleeping around. It wasn’t until he met Felicity Smoak that he considered something more.

The thought scared him then and it scared him now. Five years ago, the thought had him running away. Now, the thought made him think about a future. A future that may be included, Felicity. Something he was certain he did not deserve.

Felicity was like sunshine in spring and he was just a killer. A sudden shiver of fear crept into his chest. If he brought Felicity into his life, he was certain he would turn her sunshine into darkness. The same darkness that seemed to envelop his life since that dreadful night the Queen’s Gambit sunk.

A wave a panic crossed over him because he knew that someday he was not going to be able to ignore his unexplored feelings for Felicity. Someday he was going to want her in his life. Someday he was going to darken her world with his and he did not know if he would be able to stop it. Or if he even wanted to.  
END OF CH. 9


End file.
